Reverend W. Wilks apple trees
- Picking season: Early
- Self-fertility: Self-fertile
- Flowering group: 2
Reverend W. Wilks is a well-known English cooking apple, very much in the vein of the Victorian culinary apple tradition, although it was developed a bit later, in the early 1900s. It is thought to be derived from Ribston Pippin and Peasgood Nonsuch, both well-regarded English culinary apples.
Reverend W. Wilks ripens at the end of August and produces a well-flavoured tangy but sweet puree when cooked. The apples are large and juicy, but less sharp than some later-season cookers such as Bramley.
Reverend W. Wilks apple trees for sale
Bare-root
BR11-year bare-root treeMM106 rootstock£34.95
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
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Call us on 01759 392007 or fill in our contact form.
Tree specification
Photos of trees as supplied |
Tree sizes and forms
Pre-ordering
Pre-order now for delivery in September 2025
Delivery charges
Delivery for a single tree starts at £9.95, it is calculated based on your postcode.
Growing and Training
Reverend W. Wilks is a good choice for anyone wanting an easy early-season cooker. It is easy to grow, heavy-cropping, reliably self-fertile, and has excellent natural disease-resistance. The tree is a compact grower.
The only issue to look out for is a tendency towards biennial-bearing - fruiting only every other year as it gets older. This can be addressed by heavy thinning of the fruitlets in early June of the "on" year.
Recommended pollinators for Reverend W. Wilks apple trees
Reverend W. Wilks is self-fertile, so you do not need another variety to pollinate it to produce fruit.
However you are likely to get a better crop if you plant any of the following pollinator varieties nearby.
If you are not sure about pollination requirements don't hesitate to ask us.
More pollinators >
BardseyA hardy disease-resistant apple, discovered growing on an island off the west coast of Wales.
BountifulBountiful is an easy-to-grow cooking apple, it retains its shape when cooked, fairly sweet for a cooker.
Devonshire QuarrendenA very old English summer apple, with a vinous strawberry flavour, grown throughout the UK.
Egremont RussetEgremont Russet is the most popular English russet variety, and a good apple tree for the garden.
GreensleevesGreensleeves is a reliable and popular mid-season green/yellow apple, easy to grow and productive.
Keswick CodlinKeswick Codlin is a popular early-season cooking apple, easy to grow, and productive in most climates.
Pink GlowMalus Dolgo, also known as Pink Glow, offers early-season white flowers and very attractive dark pink fruits. It is exceptionally cold-hardy.
Red SentinelMalus Red Sentinel has classic white blossom and a profusion of tiny scarlet persistent fruits.
History
Developed by Mr Veitch of Chelsea at the start of the 20th century, and quickly recognised by the RHS (it received an Award of Merit in 1904).
Reverend W. Wilks characteristics
- Gardening skillBeginner
- Self-fertilitySelf-fertile
- Flowering group2
- Pollinating othersAverage
- Fruit bearingSpur-bearer
- Climate suitabilityMild damp climates
- Picking seasonEarly
- CroppingGood
- Keeping (of fruit)2-3 weeks
- Food usesCulinaryTraditional cooker
- Disease resistanceGood
- CankerSome resistance
- Scab (Apple and Pear)Some resistance
- Powdery mildewSome resistance
- Country of originUnited Kingdom
- Period of origin1900 - 1949
- Blossom colourWhite
British-grown trees 
Unlike many garden centres and online retailers, the vast majority of our fruit trees are grown in the UK.
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In addition, all our trees are certified under the Plant Healthy scheme, supervised by the Plant Health Alliance.
Other stakeholders include Defra and the RHS. The scheme aims to improve UK biosecurity by setting standards
for all growers and retailers involved in selling plants in the UK.
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Guaranteed fruit trees
When you buy your fruit tree from Orange Pippin Fruit Trees we guarantee it for the first season in your garden while it gets established. If it doesn't grow successfully, we'll either replace it the following season or offer a refund, subject to some conditions.
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More about apple trees
There is no doubt that the famous Bramley's Seedling still rightly reigns supreme. Characterised by its copious rich juicy acidity it quickly renders to stiff puree in the kitchen, and is the benchmark for English apple cookery. However we have noticed a real resurgence in interest in the humble cooking apple in recent years, with cooks looking beyond Bramley for other qualities and textures.
Look out for cooking apples which ripen earlier than Bramley, such as Grenadier or Keswick Codlin.
Scotland also has a strong tradition of cooking apples - Galloway Pippin, Scotch Bridget, Scotch Dumpling for example. This also illustrates another useful quality of cooking apples - they can be productive even in climates where grey skies and rain are more frequent than sun and blue skies.
Many cooking apples are also great for juicing, especially if you like your apple juice to have a bit of an acidic kick.
